Gov. Larry Hogan talks about proposed legislation that would require businesses with more than 50 employees to offer paid sick leave.

Gov. Larry Hogan talks about proposed legislation that would require businesses with more than 50 employees to offer paid sick leave.

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday he will lobby the General Assembly to mandate paid sick leave at large companies, offering a proposal that puts his stamp on an issue long championed by Democrats.

Hogan said companies with at least 50 employees would be required to offer full-time workers five sick days per year.

U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski spoke on the Senate floor summing up her service in the United States Congress. (Courtesy video)

U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski spoke on the Senate floor summing up her service in the United States Congress. (Courtesy video)

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, delivering an emotional farewell speech on the Senate floor Wednesday after four decades in Congress, called for a return to civility in politics, and vowed to continue serving Maryland as a private citizen.

Dirk Haire, longtime counsel to the Maryland Republican Party and to the campaign of Gov. Larry Hogan, will be the state GOP's chairman for the next two years.

Haire beat runner-up William Campbell by a 4-1 margin in the leadership election Saturday, said Joe Cluster, the state party's executive director. Campbell is a former Amtrak official who has run for state comptroller.